


Long Overdue

by TheObnoxiousWindFish



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: All characters other than the Hales are mentioned extensively, Also mentions of my guilty ship, Copious amounts of hate thrown at Zepheniah Mann, Gen, Intensive amount of headcanons about the Hale family tree, More about Saxton Hale than anyone has cared to talk about, Mostly bc they talk about Saxton and his fall out from Mags, Mostly by Barnabus, Talk of death as Barnabus and Bilious are dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:41:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28042575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheObnoxiousWindFish/pseuds/TheObnoxiousWindFish
Summary: Saxton finds a chance to talk to his grandfather and his father in a way he never got to.
Relationships: Administrator/Saxton Hale, Barnabus Hale & Bette Mann, Barnabus Hale/Barnabus Hale’s Wife, Bilious Hale/Bilious Hale’s Wife, Saxton Hale/Mags, Saxton Hale/Spy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Long Overdue

He could feel the shift, like something had pushed him into a new place, through a door, and suddenly, everything was eerily quiet. He can hear voices, gruff, familiar, yet they're low, like they're trying to be quiet, and something - cards? - being shuffled about. Sometimes he can hear the soft clink of a glass being set on a table, occasionally the sound of something being drunk, but Saxton honestly isn't sure. His body feels heavy, tired, and opening his eyes seemed to be more of a chore when he absolutely knows better than to relax in an unfamiliar place. There could be any manner of wild animal he'll need to wrestle at a moment's notice, but his eyes (nor the rest of his body) seem willing to work with him. He huffs in annoyance. Saxton focuses on what he can smell, and it doesn't exactly help him either. He catches all kinds of scents - aged, high dollar alcohol, expensive cigars, cologne he absolutely remembers (yet cannot place), barely coving what smells like coal, and leather. Real leather, not the fake stuff. Something tells him all of this is familiar, and yet, Saxton can't place why all of it feels so familiar.

Finally, after such a period of time, Saxton feels like he can move again - so he opens his eyes.

The place he was seems to have a solid floor, but there's no walls, or otherwise indications that he is anywhere that isn't a weird darkness. The only light seems to be one that dangles over a table, which seems to be made of wood, and three wooden chairs. This void like place isn't warm, nor is it cold, mostly it just makes him unsettled even more - but a further inspection makes him realize there are two people sitting at the table, playing cards. One is smoking, the other isn't, but both have drinks and seems to be whispering to each other. Saxton frowns, resisting the urge to twist the tip of his mustache as he thinks about what he's seeing. Both of these men look familiar, yet not, all at the same time. Has he seen them in photos?

"Ah, wait - Saxton?!"

One of the men looks up and notices him - he's wearing a leather coat that Saxton swears he's seen hung up before, with tassels down the sleeves and across the chest, a collar shirt and a tie. Saxton's taken aback, the man wears his hair the same way Saxton does, and keeps his mustache in a similar style, too. They look almost exactly alike, down to the body type, which causes Saxton to freeze up again, almost in shock. The man he's playing with, a fellow that's just as bulky as both of them, who is wearing a full on suit, complete with a bowler hat. He has a cigar in his mouth, tucked under his own impressive mustache - it's much longer and Saxton's, or the other Saxton, but still well kept. When Saxton stares at him, he feels his whole body lose a bit of color.

"... Dad?" Saxton whispers, and to his surprise, the man that looks like his father - Bilious Hale - shoots him a smile. Saxton feels his stomach get queasy, and he knows full well he can't leave now - especially since both his dad and the look a like are gesturing for Saxton to join him.

For the first time in Saxton Hale's life, he feel underdressed, in his shorts and his boots, but all the same, he carefully makes his way over to the table and realizes the look alike isn't a look alike at all - it's his grandfather. Younger, but it's still without question, Barnabus Hale.

"Have a seat, son." Bilious says, and Saxton represses the boyish urges to flinch away. Saxton's relationship with his father was... not its best, and the man certainly put the fear of god into Saxton a few times during his years growing up. He's not sure why the ghosts of his father and his grandfather have decided to pay him a visit, especially in such a way, but Saxton forces himself to sit down anyway, stick straight and avoiding eye contact with both of them.

"Good to see ya, kiddo." Barnabus grins, and Saxton catches the faintest twitch of a smile, until he realizes Bilious is staring at him. There's an uncomfortable amount of silence.

"... Are you... really, Dad and Grandad?" Saxton asks, his brows furrowing as he finally forces himself to look at the two men at the table.

"Close enough, since we're dead." Barnabus shrugs, and Bilious pulls the cigar out of his mouth to exhale smoke.

"We ain't here to haunt ya fer fuckin' up or anythin', Sax. Wanted to talk, since we never got ta." Bilious adds, tapping the ashes of his cigar into his ashtray, then plucking it back in between his lips. Saxton relaxes, somewhat - at least enough to scoot his chair in and lean on the table. "Want a drink or a smoke?"

"I'll take a glass." Saxton says, and glances down in surprise when there's a glass next to him, filled with the same expensive alcohol the other two are drinking. He takes the glass, tentatively, and watches Barnabus shuffle the cards. "I’m still running Mann Co., these days.”

"Shit, Mann Co’s still around? Zepheniah only gave me that damn company because he didn't want his moron kids to get it, and he needed a way to make sure I wouldn't kick his ass over Bette." Barnabus raises his hands in the air, throwing his head back as he does. "And I'm still gonna kick his ghost ass over Bette!"

"Context, Pops." Bilious mumbles, and Barnabus looks over at his son and his grandson.

"Oh, right. See, I was Zepheniah Mann's tracker back in the day - that's where I got all those tricks I taught ya, Saxxy - and his wife was a wonderful woman named Bette Darling. Chanced it to Mann when she married Zepheniah, but ever since I got hired the two of us were thick as thieves! She and I would go all OVER England, just to start fights." Barnabus gestures as he talks, thankfully only picking up his drink between parts of his story to take a sip, put it down, then start again. "Hell, she and Janette were best of friends, the three of us would turn the city into a mad house!"

Saxton blinks, and Bilious take a drag of his cigar.

"Darling?" Saxton asks. Barnabus grins.

"Yeah, Darling, that was her dad's name, anyway - William Darling." Barnabus nods as he talks. "Sound right, anyway."

"His descendent, Charles, is putting animals in zoos so he watch them SUFFER!" Saxton exclaims, slamming his hands on the table when he does. Bilious purses his lips, but doesn't interrupt the heating exchange - in fact, he simply takes his glass from the table, noticing how everything shifts and rattles upon the force being used. Barnabus gasps in shock, eyes wide.

"HE **WHAT?!** " Barnabus shouts, and Saxton Hale nods, a small smirk taking his face.

"Yeah! After you passed away, I wanted to get better at hunting, so I trained with Charles Darling, since it sounded like he had ideas I hadn't heard of," Saxton explains, "But after I took the company from dad, Helen started asking me to do things, and I had to drop it - he got really mad about it, too, and since he's been imprision' animals to suffer instead of fighting them fair and square to kill'm!"

"THAT BASTARD!" Barnabus yells, slamming the table again. "I'LL KILL HIM FOR DISRESPECTIN' THE DARLING NAME!"

Bilious silently taps more ashes into his ashtray. "Pops, yer dead. Unless ya intend on killin' his ghost, not happenin'."

Barnabus frowns, the wind taken out of his sails almost instantly. "Damnit."

Saxton smiles, a bubble of confidence to him. "No worries, Grandad, I've kicked his ass plenty."

Barnabus hops right back to his former gusto. "THAT'S MY GRANDSON!"

Bilious sets his cigar in his ashtray, favoring a drink instead, He sets his glass back on the table. "Pops."

Barnabus turns to Bilious, and Saxton watches them both, a tad quieter now.

"I don't remember Bette at all - Zepheniah, a bit, but not Bette." Bilious admits, and Barnabus loses all his steam, shoulders slumped as he stares at the glass on the table. It's silent for a good while as he seems to collect his thoughts.

"She died giving birth." Barnabus admits, finally, and he wipes his eyes on his sleeve. "To those godforsaken triplets."

"Triplets?" Bilious squints.

"Triplets?” Saxton inquires as well, his eyebrows shooting straight up.

Barnabus lets out a long, sad sigh. 

“Triplets. Redmond, Blutarch, then a third one they called Gray - but he got taken away by eagles.” Barnabus explains, and Bilious shares a confused look with Saxton. Barnabus continues, disraught. “Not a damn one of them cared. Zepheniah didn't even bat an eye when the midwife announced her death. Elizabeth... hell, I expected her not to care, but Zepheniah? That was his wife. Janette and I were torn about it for months. I bet he thought Bette was cheating on him with me or somethin, I'll never know, but losin' a friend like her made the world darker."

A sorrow aura seems to sit among them now, and Saxton decides to clear it.

"If it's anything, Zepheniah Mann's stuck as a sad sack ghost on a mercenary fightin' ground no one ever visits anymore and he haunts it sometimes?" Saxton offers.

Barnabus smiles, raising his head and sitting up. "... It ain't the afterlife I woulda given him, but it's just as sorry as he is, so I'll take it."

Bilious hums in agreement. "I think the Mann family’s just cursed to be full of assholes.”

Saxton takes a swig of his drink (seriously, what _is_ this stuff?), setting his glass down a little hard. “Ya can say that again, Dad. Can you believe they’re STILL alive?”

Bilious and Barnabus take their turns to look horrified and shocked - but as Bilious thinks about it, he sighs, shrugging.

“Wait, they have life extenders, or something. Using Australium to make them last forever.” Bilious mutters, and Barnabus’s expression hasn’t changed.

“They really are still going? Even now?” Barnabus presses a hand against his head, staring at nothing in particular. “I mean I guess they’re stupid enough to both do the same thing. I shouldn’t be surprised and yet I’m surprised at how low these idiots will go.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s good at convincing people, and even if they did finally truce I imagine She’d get them riled back up just because she thinks it’s funny.” Bilious mumbles. The cigar finally returns to his mouth, and Barnabus and Saxton both raise a brow.

“Elizabeth?” Barnabus asks.

“Helen?” Saxton questions.

Bilious stares at both of them.

“Seems she’s a shape shifter, too.” Bilious adds, and while Barnabus mulls on it a bit, Saxton Hale comes to a very troubling set of realizations, quite quickly.

“Elizabeth is Helen these days?” Barnabus asks.

Saxton is highly disturbed. “Wish I had known she was ancient.”

“You di... actually, if I know her, she totally did. It woulda kept you in line.” Bilious waves dismissively, but Saxton doesn’t miss how Bilious’s hold on his cigar tightens. “I don’t blame ya for getting caught with her.”

“It was after you died, dad.” Saxton admits.

Bilious lets out a long sigh of smoke, and Barnabus offers a sympathetic smile. Saxton mostly feels ashamed, but at least Saxton can finally say he’s not too fond of women thanks to those encounters.

“... What has happened, after I died?” Bilious asks.

“... You knew about Mom, and after I started running the company, Mags left me. She wanted me to abandon the company, but I couldn’t, not after you and mom so fast, so she left. I started fairly strong, and trained with Charles between running things - then Helen came into the picture and it’s mostly been running Mann Co, keeping up with the demand and hunting when I have time.” Saxton shrugs.

Bilious and Barnabus both lean in and Saxton raises his hands, eyes wide at how both his Grandad and his Dad are so invested in his life - but on second thought, it makes sense. They want to know if there will be a fourth member of the Hale line, and just how he is in a life neither of them know about, and really, Saxton doesn’t know. Bilious backs off, and gives another smoky sigh as Barnabus finally remembers the cards that have been scattered over the table, and gathers them into his hands.

“I... I wish Mags had stayed.” Bilious admits. “She was good for you, son. I’m sorry she made you pick. I remember - you carried the universe for her.”

Saxton smiles fondly, but he can’t help but feel a bit sad, anyway. “It’s... it’s fine, since I don’t think me leaving Mann Co. was an option. Not after mom asked me to stay.”

Barnabus smiles, but it’s sad. Bilious pushes his hat over his eyes, almost as if he’s embarrassed, and then he takes his cigar and taps the ashtray again. Saxton feels strangely lighter, now.

“It’s not all bad. I’m seein’ someone else these days, and I think he’s a keeper.” Saxton finds himself admitting. Barnabus instantly leans in, hands on his chin as he holds the cards. Bilious side eyes Saxton, but it’s not hateful or malicious. “He ain’t an Aussie, but Mags wasn’t either.”

Barnabus’s eyebrows shoot straight up. Bilious chuckles. 

“Ya gonna keep ya grandad in the dark? C’mon, Sax-tanova! Tell me!” Barnabus’s face contorts into a smile, and Saxton suddenly feels sheepish, rubbing the back of his head.

“Pops, he doesn’t have to.” Bilious pipes up. “Also, can you make up your mind if we’re gonna play or not?”

Barnabus deflates, but starts to deal. “You in, Saxton?”

Saxton gives a smile. “Yeah, deal me in. Now, this bloke’s got me all kinds of bad, though - I just don’t want’m to feel like a replacement of Mags.” 

Barnabus nods, clearly more invested in listening to Saxton talk than he is in dealing. Bilious smirks, but it doesn’t feel judgmental - in fact, Saxton feels comfortable. It feels more comfortable than when he got here, and talking with his dad, with his grandfather, and it somehow feels normal. Knowing his dad is proud, in his own way, knowing his grandfather is just like him in a weird way, it’s so nice that part of Saxton’s soul feels at peace.

“I don’t think he thinks that, especially since you’re honest with’m.” Barnabus says, dealing a few more cards. He places the rest of the deck on the table, then turns the first card over. “At least, I hope ya are.”

Saxton nods. “Yeah, I haven’t been avoidin’ it, but I don’t bring it up unless he does first.”

Barnabus nods. Bilious picks up his cards, Saxton and Barnabus follow in suit. Barnabus lays his first card down, and Saxton admits he’s not really paying attention to the game.

“Glad yet movin’ on, though. Always were a tough kid.” Bilious says with a smile.

“Learned it from the best.” Saxton says back, and they fall into a comfortable silence. This whole thing almost doesn’t feel real - and even if if isn’t, it still gives him some kind of peace.

“Always worried I wasn’t around enough for ya, Saxxy.” Bilious admits. “Spent too much time workin’.”

The cigar is removed from Bilious’s mouth again, and he gives a sigh. Barnabus smiles.

“... I miss ya all the same, Dad. I’m sorry we weren’t closer.” Saxton finds this easier to admit than he would have normally, but something about this feels... safe. 

It’s so nice to finally say all the things he’s wanted to. The card game continues, and Saxton feels... like a weight’s off his chest. 

He almost feels... free. 

This was long overdue.


End file.
